Advancement Match (Please Follow)

Lin Qi came alone to Martial Arts Room 503.

It had originally belonged to another student, but that student had dropped out of the top thirty in this monthly exam and lost the martial arts room.

The student had packed up yesterday and hadn't delayed Lin Qi.

The entire martial arts room had already been cleaned by an Intelligent Robot and carried a fresh, clean scent.

Lin Qi stood inside the martial arts room. Its facilities were no different from those in Jiang Tao's martial arts room.

But now, it was his own little space.

In the bathroom, Lin Qi looked at himself in the mirror. Twenty days had passed since his Fusion Rate reached 5%.

The Fusion Rate had become increasingly difficult to raise, but it was enough for him.

His entire body had undergone another tremendous transformation, inside and out.

The contours of his face had fully developed, becoming sharper and more defined. His features were resolute, and his skin was refined and smooth.

His height had surpassed 1.85 meters. His frame was broad, and his shoulders were wide and solid.

His arms were like two giant pythons, veins bulging like twisted steel bars, filled with explosive power.

His heart beat powerfully, providing his body with an endless supply of strength.

The current Lin Qi was tall and powerfully built, exuding a cold, stern aura.

He was becoming more and more like the Erlang Shen from his memories.

After changing into his Martial Arts Uniform, he began taking Qi and Blood Elixirs. Qi and Blood Capsules had already been phased out by him and replaced with Qi and Blood Elixirs.

"The monthly exam is over. It's time to change my goal."

"But before that, I need to raise my rank in the Crimson Realm Arena to Star Rank and claim the 500,000 Xia Guo Bi reward."

"Swish, swish~"

"Whoosh~"

Lin Qi picked up his Long Spear and began to wield it. His Spear Technique was majestic, spear shadows flashing one after another.

That night, outside Red Sky Martial Arts Hall.

"Beep!"

[Your Industrial and Commercial Card ending in xxx has received 30,000 yuan. Balance: 63,128 yuan]

"Qi Ge, the scholarship came in. Mine was 50,000 yuan this time."

Jiang Tao looked at his phone and smiled.

Lin Qi nodded. "Mine came in too."

The 30,000-yuan scholarship was merely an appetizer. The Genius Loan and event rewards to come were what truly mattered.

"Let's go. Once midnight passes today, the event will be over."

"Alright!"

The two entered Red Sky Martial Arts Hall and saw Guo Heng scrolling through videos in the Main Hall.

"Let's go. No sparring today. We'll head straight to the Virtual Room for matchmaking."

"You two need to seize the opportunity. There are less than four hours left until midnight."

"A lot of people have come to the martial arts hall to match. Everyone is trying to reach Star Rank. If I hadn't reserved three spots in advance, there wouldn't be any left by now."

Guo Heng spoke as he led the two toward the Virtual Room.

"A Heng, thank you so much!" Jiang Tao expressed his gratitude. They truly hadn't thought of that.

"By the way, what were your rankings in Tianhai City for this monthly exam?" Guo Heng asked curiously as they walked.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao didn't hide it and told him.

"288th and 100th. Not bad. I knew I hadn't misjudged you two." Guo Heng smiled.

"What about you, A Heng?" Jiang Tao asked.

Guo Heng's lips curled up after hearing that, and he said rather smugly,

"I ranked fifth in my grade at No. 1 High School and fourteenth in Tianhai City."

"Fourteenth in Tianhai?!"

Lin Qi was startled. He exchanged a glance with Jiang Tao, and both saw the surprise in the other's eyes. That was even one rank higher than Yu Jing, the second-ranked student in their school!

As expected of a genius from No. 1 High School. Guo Heng was indeed powerful, and there were still four people at No. 1 High School stronger than him.

Compared like this, Tianhai No. 2 Middle School was truly far too weak overall.

While chatting, the three entered the Virtual Room. Countless people moved in and out, and dense crowds filled the place amid waves of discussion.

Only after entering did they realize there were even more people inside.

"Old Guo, you finally showed up!"

"You've hogged three spots. Quite a few people are already unhappy about it."

Three people walked over, two men and a woman. Someone teased him.

Lin Qi looked at the three and noticed a familiar face among them: the Curly-Haired Man, "My Greatsword," his first opponent matched in the Crimson Realm Arena.

He had left a deep impression on Lin Qi. He wondered how strong he was now.

The one who spoke was a broad-backed, bear-like student with thick, dark arms and rugged features.

Guo Heng said unconcernedly, "So what? I paid for them, and it's only been ten minutes."

The other girl was slender and elegantly dressed. When she saw Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, she asked curiously,

"Aren't you going to introduce these two friends?"

"Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, from No. 2 High School. They're new friends I've made."

"Lü Xiang, Wu Feng, and Qiu Si Ying, my classmates from No. 1 High School."

Guo Heng briefly introduced both sides.

"Hello!" Jiang Tao greeted them with a smile, while Lin Qi simply nodded.

"From No. 2 High School?" Wu Feng's expression shifted, and he frowned.

Qiu Si Ying shook her head and laughed. "Old Guo, aren't friends like us enough for you? You actually went and made friends from No. 2 High School."

"You've really hurt our feelings."

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao inexplicably felt uncomfortable. It felt as though they were being looked down on.

Lü Xiang said nothing. Instead, he stared at Lin Qi and frowned. For some reason, Lin Qi looked familiar.

"Alright, enough nonsense."

"Lin Qi, Jiang Tao, let's go."

Guo Heng didn't waste any more words and directly led the two away.

The three came to a corner where three unused Virtual Cabins stood.

"Hurry up and match. Get to Star Rank as soon as possible," Guo Heng urged.

After saying that, he was the first to enter a Virtual Cabin.

"Let's get in too!"

"Alright!"

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao didn't waste any words either. They entered the Virtual Cabins one after another and logged into the Red Realm.

Not far away, Wu Feng and the other two watched Lin Qi's group enter the Virtual Cabins.

"Those two from No. 2 High School actually became friends with the arrogant Guo Heng. Do they have something special about them?" Wu Feng asked curiously.

"Other than the famous Battle Axe Bear, Swift Hawk, and Sword Sparrow, they're nothing worth mentioning." Qiu Si Ying shook her head disdainfully.

"That's true!"

"Old Guo likes making connections. He probably just met them recently." Wu Feng nodded in agreement.

"Stop talking and get into the Virtual Cabins already."

"You've been hogging those spots for so long that people are getting unhappy." Lü Xiang urged them.

"Got it, stop rushing us!"

[Yang Jian, welcome to the Red Realm Arena!]

Lin Qi listened to the Intelligent Voice. Standing in his Personal Space, he summoned his personal panel.

[Nickname: Yang Jian]

[Rank: Elite]

[Win Rate: 92%]

[Points: 142]

Lin Qi pondered. He currently had 142 points and needed another 8 points to advance to Star Rank.

In other words, he needed to win at least three more matches.

As long as he didn't lose, he would make it in time.

With that thought, he chose to begin matchmaking.

[Matchmaking begins!]

Two minutes later, Lin Qi appeared out of thin air in a spacious Arena.

A figure appeared across from him as well. It was a man in a Blue Combat Suit.

He looked at his opponent: black clothes, a Black Mask, and a Black Great Spear. The sight gave off an intimidating aura.

"Brother, that outfit of yours is pretty cool."

He took the initiative to greet him.

What he received in return was silence.

"Ignoring me?"

The man in blue immediately became annoyed. "Trying to act cool? You picked the wrong person."

"I hate show-offs like you the most!"

[3, 2, 1]

[Arena begins!]

As the electronic female voice in the air announced the start, the match officially began.

The two figures shot forward like lightning and collided in midair. Fierce winds howled, and sparks flew.

One minute later.

"Clang~~"

"Damn, damn, damn!!"

The man in blue wielded his Battle Saber as he retreated, frantically blocking the spear strikes.

"Who the hell is this guy? His Spear Technique is insane. I can't block it at all."

The man in blue felt unbelievably unlucky. He had actually matched against an expert.

"Pfft~"

A cold glint flashed before his eyes from the spear tip, and in the next instant, pain erupted in his chest.

The Long Spear pierced through his chest in an instant. He was already dead.

"Brother, you're awesome!"

After saying that, the man in blue helplessly fell and turned into Void.

[Yang Jian, congratulations on your victory!]

[Points +3]

[Points: 145]

Lin Qi returned to his Personal Space. After seeing the points, he didn't stop.

"Continue matchmaking!"

Half an hour later.

[Yang Jian, congratulations on your victory!]

[Points +3]

[Points: 148]

"Whew~"

"Only one match left!"

In his Personal Space, Lin Qi looked at the screen. He was only two points away. One more victory would complete his advancement.

"According to Guo Heng, this match is called an Advancement Match. The system will arrange a powerful opponent."

"The other side might even be fighting an Advancement Match as well. Only the stronger one can successfully advance."

"Continue matchmaking!"

Lin Qi's expression turned serious as he waited quietly.